long range newbie update as advice said its not cheap

so santa came early this year and i now have the basic gear to get started, after much debate and advice from guys in the know i now have a rig set up and am doing load development for
so the figures are rounded but this is where im at so far

rifle sako a7 roughtech a7 7mm rm $1750 used 40rnds
rings and rail $400 new
dbt can pus threading $600 new
scope delta titanium 4.5-30 $1800 new
range finder sig bdx $850 new
dies projectiles powder etc $400 new

total $5800

i know its not top of the range but i think i have got a good middle of the road set up for the hunting and gong smacking i want to do, could have saved a few bucks by taking a bit more time and collecting a few good secondhand deals. hope this helps for anyone else thing of making the move


and thanks to the guys who have taken the time to help me out with advice so far

Good on ya you will have fun getting everything together and sorting out your load. Hope to see you at some of the upcoming matches.

Plenty of "reach" with that rig and snotty at both ends!!

That gear should be plenty good enough. Now to get your handloads dialed in.

Looking forward to further progress reports.

You will be good to go [emoji106]

Sent from my CPH1903 using Tapatalk

Nice rig Country Cuts

Practise to achieve first round hits in the kill zone for every shot you take

Take a small note pad with you and note down the factors present for each shot and it’s effect on your poi at each distance shot

That way you can read your notes at home and refresh your memory on the effects of wind drift, and your ability to call it and apply the correction through your scope

You will quickly get used to a breeze and become an effective LR shooter.

Shooting well at LR in varying conditions is a PERISHABLE skill set, so stay humble and let practise be a big part of not only your learning curve but your ongoing desire to be an ethical harvester of game animals.

As time goes on you will derive as much from watching animals as you initially did shooting them.

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Originally Posted by GWH

That gear should be plenty good enough. Now to get your handloads dialed in.

Looking forward to further progress reports.

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yep at that cant wait to dial it in but know its a go through the process and get it right, then start getting some down range on targets to see how they behave

Good effort on the purchases.Enjoy getting accurate distances.

go to your local full bore range for practice if you don't already. the experience and knowledge you find there will be priceless.

Hi Country Cuts,
That's a nice well balanced purchase with no weak links.
Scope = rifle
Rifle good enough with solid bedding system.
Solid spends in Range finder and specially on Rings/Mounts.
New Dies are worthwhile in my opinion - they are a key component. Look after them.
You may later spend more on reloading gear but I'm guessing you already had good base kit.

I think someone looking to buy any new category of rifle would be up for this sort of money eg quality bush pig, competition precision rifle or classic collectors item or varmint.

Nice set up, what pills and powder you planning on using?

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

Nice set up, what pills and powder you planning on using?

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with parts being in short supply i managed to get some hornady brass rl25 168 berger classic hunter cci primers and some 162 eldm to try

Aye, that will work

Hi
My sako A7 enjoys the eldm 162s. Give these a fair chance to surprise you. Good luck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jett101

Hi
My sako A7 enjoys the eldm 162s. Give these a fair chance to surprise you. Good luck

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thanks whats your recipe for them

Hi CC,

Great start, i had an A7 first LR rig, it shot the 168 Berger's really well, I used 2217 but arguably not ideal bullet, jackets can be a bit tough. Barnes 145g lrx shot exceptionally but again not ideal long range bullet.

I haven't tried rl25. I passed on my notes when I sold the rifle so I'm a bit light on load data, but always loaded to mag length less 3/4 mm.

I'd suggest get to work on the 162eldm, it will give you great performance outside 400y and inside with careful shot placement.

Good luck